Be Close To Me
by Specificitydarling
Summary: "Four weeks and I'm back." Artie has to go to a "physio boot camp" during the summer, meaning that he and Tina will be apart. Yes, he really has to go, she already asked. Tartie. Set after season 1. No spoilers just yet, but who knows. *INDEFINITE HIATUS*
1. Chapter 1

**Wanted to give a shout out to _Keifersaur_ and their story _'Fireflies'_ (read it if you haven't because it's great!) because the 4th chapter included a song that I am now in love with and that inspired this whole story. The song is_ "Sweater Song" by Hedley. _**

**This is set in the summer holidays after season 1... and may include some of the glee club as well as _some _new OC characters, but the main focus will be on Artie and Tina. There are definitely more chapters to come and I'll try to update as often as possible.**

**Disclaimer: I dont own glee or it's characters... *sadface***

* * *

It was a warm, breezy June evening and they were lounging in his backyard. His chair was pushed to the edge of the concrete path and he had planted himself on the grass, legs spread slightly to help him balance. She was right next to him, her legs curled under her as she ripped out grass from the ground. They had been there for a few hours now, had witnessed the sun set and the temperature drop.

"Do you have to go?" she asked suddenly, reached up to sprinkle a handful of shredded grass onto his shoulder.

He laughed, taking some and throwing it at her. "Yeah, it's real hard to get a booking at these things. I've been on the waitlist for like 8 months now."

"So, will it help?" she gestured to his legs, but spoke tentatively, not wanting to give the wrong impression.

"I'm not gonna come back walking." He laughed and she punched him lightly in the arm. They both knew that wasn't what she meant.

"It's like physio boot camp. I'll do heaps and heaps of exercises to work my legs, to reduce the strain of keeping them in a single position for so long," he explained, glancing back at his wheel chair, "Help with circulation and things like that."

"Does it hurt?" she asked, her eyes worried. She had shuffled a little closer to his side.

"Not really... It's just really tiring. Last time I went I was 13 I think... and in much worse shape. But they're gonna work these muscles a lot," he pointed to his lower stomach, "Because they're not totally affected. And of course -" he flexed his arm to show off his bicep and she giggled.

"You're going to come back all toned and hot aren't you?" she said, looking at him with a smirk. He raised an eyebrow in reply.

"You mean I'm not now?"

She burst out laughing before she could reassure him. Suddenly she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"You're cold," he observed and swiftly took off him sweater, leaving him in just a T-shirt. She had wondered why he was wearing one, as opposed to her in a tiny singlet and shorts.

She looked at it, "But then you'll be cold." He shook his head and pushed it into her lap.

Smiling she pulled it over her head. Snuggling closer to him she kissed his cheek.

"Now I'll have to keep you warm," She smiled and he chuckled, turning his head slightly towards her.

She moved her legs so they rested over his thigh and was able to turn and face him better. She kissed him again, on the lips this time and he brought his hand to her waist to pull her closer as she cupped his cheek. After a moments though, he pulled away, leaving her staring at his lips.

"What?" she asked, ever-so-slightly out of breath.

"I'm pretty sure my mom's in the kitchen," he said, glancing over his shoulder at the kitchen window that overlooked the entire backyard, "and I'm really not ready for that conversation."

"We could go to your room?" she suggested, a smiling gracing her lips.

"And be that subtle?" he asked, before they both laughed again.

Sighing, she laid her head on his shoulder, "I should go soon, I have to wake up early. I don't know why I agreed to work at dad's office over the holidays!"

He chuckled, "Because he agreed to pay you."

"Oh yeah, that." She said smiling, before she remembered that he was leaving tomorrow. "Only for a month, right?"

She felt him nod, "Four weeks and I'm back."

"You'll skype?"

"Whenever I can." He agreed and she nodded in contentment. Before pulling away from him to get up.

Similarly, he pulled himself closer to his chair, and checked the brakes before pulling himself up. Her hand on his forearm, more for the contact than actual help.

"I'm gonna miss you, nerd." She said smiling, before leaning down to kiss him gently on the lips.

"I'll miss you more, dork." He replied grinning.

He unlocked his wheels and they went to the front door, through the kitchen so Tina could thank his mom for dinner.

"Have fun," she said at the door, holding out her hand.

He squeezed it, "you too."

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning that he realised she still had his sweater.

"Art, we gotta go!" His dad yelled from the hallway. He sighed, adjusting his glasses. It was ridiculously early, but they did need a 3 hour drive to get there.

He checked around his room, making sure his laptop and iPod were safely in his backpack and his phone in his pocket. Then wheeled himself out to the front door.

"Artie, honey, this was in the letterbox for you." His mom handed him a haphazardly wrapped parcel, before giving him a hug, "Have a good time. Be safe!"

He laughed and nodded, "Love you too, mom."

His dad helped him into the car and as he was packing the wheelchair into the trunk, Artie took the opportunity to open the parcel. It was a T-shirt. Her T-shirt, he knew because he had seen her in it. A baggy, dark blue shirt with music note scattered across the front. He picked it up and felt, something hard folded into it. Unfolding the T-shirt on his lap, he saw a thin CD case. Turning it over, he smiled at the list of songs, haphazardly written in her scrawl.

"That's from Tina, is it?" his dad asked, seating himself in the driver's seat and starting the engine.

Artie looked at him quizzically, wondering how he knew.

His dad laughed, "The smile on your face, Art."

He blushed, and looked down at his lap, folding up the T-shirt carefully. As they drove out of his street he looked at the time, 7:15 am, and couldn't help but think she must have had to get up horribly early to drop it off.

* * *

2 hours later, Tina was sorting through way too many files in the spare office at her father's work place. Hearing a knock, she pulled out her headphones and looked up.

"Hey Teeny, you doing okay in here?" her dad asked.

She nodded, but before she could say anything a yawn escaped. Her dad chuckled, "If you want coffee you can get some from the kitchen."

She smiled a thanks and he returned to his office down the hall. It was going to be a long day. She glanced down at her phone and saw the background photo smiling up at her. It was mostly him, his glasses taking up most of the screen, but you could see her eyes and a purple streak in the corner. A testament to her wonderful photography skills.

It would be a long four weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took me so long to update this. I kept rewriting this chapter and even now I'm not to sure if it's as good as it could be... Please let me know what you think :) And I'll do my best to not take so long for the next chapter! **

**Also, my knowledge of Artie's condition and it's variations is limited to Google basically, so forgive me if I get any of my fact's wrong.**

* * *

Tina pulled off her (his) sweater as soon as she stepped outside the building. It was unbearably hot outside, but her dad's office building always had the air-conditioner on about 20 degrees, so she made sure to bring extra warmth. She had worked all through lunch so he let her off for the day. She was coming back tomorrow anyway.

Cramming the sweater into her bag, she pulled out her phone, pressed a button and held it to her ear.

"Hey girl, how are you?" Mercedes said as soon as she picked up.

Tina smiled, "Hey M, I just got out of work. Wanna meet up?"

"Yup. We're at the mall, meet us at the pretzel stand?" Mercedes said, and Tina heard someone laugh excitedly.

She hung up and stared at her screen for a moment, a smile spreading across her lips, before she pressed the speed dial.

It rang twice, before: "Yo, this is Artie. Leave a message and I'll get back to ya. Holler!"

She giggled as at his attempt to be anything less than nerdy. "Hey, it's me. Just finished, and am meeting up with Mercedes and Kurt. I'll try again before dinner. Miss you."

Closing her phone she made her way towards the mall, which was, luckily, only five minutes away.

She found Mercedes, Kurt, and a very not-pregnant Quinn standing near the pretzel stand. She smiled widely and tried not to look too surprised as she gave them each a hug.

Quinn laughed and she knew she'd failed, "Mercedes brought me shopping since I'm finally able to fit into something other than tents and track pants."

"If I'd known we were going to spend that long in Forever 21, I probably wouldn't have bothered coming," Kurt said, from behind Mercedes.

Mercedes laughed, "We spent long enough on the men's floor of Macy's, so stop complaining!"

He just rolled his eyes and mumbled something about the integrity of fashion.

Chuckling, Tina glanced at their many shopping bags and decided they had spent long enough in the mall, period.

"Can we please get some pretzels now? I'm starving!" Quinn suddenly burst out and Mercedes doubled over laughing, dropping one of her bags.

"Looks like baby mama's cravings haven't died down just yet."

Quinn shot her a playful glare and they all moved to stand in line for some snacks. Tina realised she was famished herself, not having eaten since breakfast.

"Tina," she turned around to the sound of Quinn's voice behind her, "Where's Artie?" She looked around as if he'd be hiding somewhere.

"He's away on some physiotherapy camp thing. For a month," She shrugged, trying not to show how not-okay she was with the whole thing. Nearly immediately though, Kurt's hand flew up to her shoulder.

"Oh," Quinn said apologetically, "I know he really misses you." Tina shrugged again. _Not as much as she missed him_, she thought.

* * *

Artie wheeled himself back into his room, exhausted and sore already. It had only been one afternoon, but he could already imagine what the rest of the month would be like. He couldn't rally complain though, he knew this could help him in the long run.

He pulled himself onto the bed and reached across to the bedside table to grab his phone. He left it in the room because he knew he wouldn't get a chance to use it during the exercises. Seeing one missed call he smiled, knowing exactly who it was. There weren't any other options. His mom knew enough about this place to know he wouldn't be free till after dinner and really, who else would call him.

He pulled out his laptop, hoping she was online and excited to see her face. He turned it on and was waiting for it to load when he heard a knock at his door. Looking up he saw a guy around his age at the doorway.

"Hey, Artie, right?" he asked,

"Yup," Artie nodded and motioned for the guy to come in. He wheeled in slowly, and stopped a few feet from the bed.

"My room's next door. I'm Sean, Sean Hedley. I was going to come say hi before, but I had to go to the pool."

"Yeah, I'm starting the pool next week. How's it going?"

"Good. They have this _hot_ new physio! Dude, you're gonna love her!" Sean said, his eyes lighting up at the thought. Artie laughed, he was pretty sure Sean had him mistaken with someone like Puck and he didn't even know that was possible.

"So what's your deal?" Sean changed topics suddenly. It was a vague question, but Artie knew what he was getting at.

"L3, car crash. 7 years now." Artie answered. It was standard short form; he learnt it from years in chat rooms for people like him. There was no need to sugar coat it, or make it sound better than it is. "You?"

"T6, playground accident. 5 years," Sean shrugged, "You're lucky."

Normally Artie would've either laughed or screamed at someone who don't him he was lucky. But here, were he saw people that were so much worse off than he was. Even Sean, Artie was pretty sure he wasn't able to sit up without a backrest. His own injury was pretty low, giving him quite a lot of movement in his torso and upper body. He knew Sean probably wouldn't even be able to do the type of dancing he did for Glee club. So yeah, he could go with lucky.

"How long are you here for?" Artie found himself asking, hoping, selfishly, that he wasn't leaving too soon. He could use a friend in here.

Sean pulled his T-shirt down a little bit, before answering, "Another two weeks, I've already been here three. The girl who was in here before you, she was hot, but so annoying. One of those Twilight girls and all." He made a face before laughing. Artie chuckled quietly, nodding as if he understood. But he tried his hardest to avoid those girls at school, and he couldn't deny he was glad to have avoided another one. They were scary!

Suddenly, his laptop rung out and Tina's face popped up on the open screen. His laptop had automatically connected to the Wi-Fi, so she had seen him online.

"Hey! Oh-" her grin hesitated when she saw Sean in the background.

Turning around to face Sean, Artie pointed to the screen, "I'm gonna -" but he didn't have to even finish his sentence before Sean got the hint and wheeled out of the room with a wave.

Turning back to her, he smiled and she grinned even wider, "Hi!"

"I miss you!" he blurted out, then blushed.

She laughed, "You haven't even been gone an entire day."

He shrugged, "Yeah, well -"

"I miss you too," she interrupted him and he grinned at her as she blushed a little as well. Shaking her hair off her face she pointed into the camera and his chest, "I see you got my gift."

"Thanks, Tee. I love it."

She smiled, but spoke seriously, "You know, I want that back when you come home."

"Yeah," he raised an eyebrow, "Well, I want my sweater back."

She bit her lip to try not to smile, which he took to mean she'd been wearing it. It's not like he minded any way. And besides, she looked adorable biting her lip like that.

Tina strted telling him about spending the afternoon with Mercedes, kurt and Quinn and laughed when he looked surprised at the latter. But before long, Tina heard her mom call her to dinner. And though he knew the Cohen-Chang's had dinner ridiculously early, he als knew that meant he'd be having his own dinner soon.

"I should go." Tina said, obviously not pleased.

He smiled, "Don't be a stranger."

A laugh escaped her, "As if." She smiled and blew him a little kiss and before he was even able to respond, she had logged off.

He sighed, he couldn't believe it had only been one day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay, another chapter! Thank you to everyone to reviewed, favorited or put this story on alerts. It means so much to me 3**

**This is a little bit of a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think :)**

* * *

The first Tina noticed when she woke up was that it was raining. And not just a summer shower either, it was pouring. She was surprised their house hadn't flooded. From her bed she could reach the curtains, and she pulled them slightly open so she could see the drops rolling down the glass violently.

The second thing she noticed, as she turned over to check her alarm clock, was that it was early. Too early. Tina had this knack of sleeping completely through her alarm, but she couldn't remember the last time she had woken up an hour before she had to. Sighing, she dropped her head to the pillow again, snuggling under her duvet even though it wasn't that cold.

She loved doing this, lying in bed listening to the rain. She had loved it since she was little, when she'd get one of her books and just read in bed for as long as her mom would let her. When she got a bit older, she replaced her book with her iPod. But she only ever kept one headphone in, so she could hear the rain at the same time. Didn't matter what the song was, it was always the greatest source of comfort to her. Older still, and most recently, she'd do it with Artie. Although not lying in bed, but rather on it. Or, even more likely if her parents were home, lounging on the couch in the living room.

She closed her eyes, humming a familiar tune because she couldn't be bothered to get her iPod from her bag. When she started sophomore year, she never would've believed that she'd be where she was now. A member of Glee club, friends with Mercedes and Kurt, someone who spent an afternoon shopping with Quinn Fabray! And most importantly, she never would've thought she would get together with Artie. Not cute, smart, hilarious Artie that was in her English class freshman year. And she never would've thought she could be this happy.

A small smile spreading across her lips, her eyes sprung open at the sound of a knock on her door. Opening it slightly, her mother popped her head through the gap. "Oh good, you're awake. Your dad can give you a ride this morning, so you don't have to walk. But you'll have to leave early."

Tina looked at her about to acknowledge the offer, when a yawn suddenly overcame her.

"There's coffee in the pot and I'm making eggs, so come get some," her mother chuckled and closed the door behind her.

Tina sighed, knowing that if this rain didn't let up, she did not want to walk to her father's office. Pushing the bed covers off her, she stretched and got out of bed. Checking the time once more, she grabbed some clothing and made her way into the bathroom for a shower.

20 minutes later, she could hear her parents talking down the hall, as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was only wearing a black T-shirt, but knew she needed another layer for the day. Especially since it was still raining, not only cats and dogs, but also small children.

Looking around her room, she found her bag on her desk chair and pulled Artie's jumper from it. It was light blue, with a white v-neckline. And on her, it was very obvious it belonged to someone else. She put on her big, white Docs for good measure and headed out to get some breakfast.

* * *

Artie carefully balanced his tray on his lap as he manoeuvred around the cafeteria tables. It was much easier to get around than in school. For one, the tables were spread a lot wider apart, and for another there were far fewer chairs in the way. Still, this was another time he'd accept the term lucky. All around him he could see kids his ages that needed someone to simply hold their plate, or worse, their fork.

He spotted Sean across the large room, and made his way over there. If he was going to make friends, he may as well do it right.

"Hey, can I join?" Artie asked, and Sean, who was seated next to a few other kids, grinned and nodded.

"Art! How are you doing?" he asked. Artie answered, although he wasn't much different than he was last night.

They ate for a bit, Artie munching thoughtfully on his toast. It was no accident that he'd covered it peanut butter and honey, remembering full well that that was Tina's favourite spread.

"So," Sean started, and Artie quickly swallowed his bite, "That Asian chick your girlfriend?"

Artie's eyes widened a little, and he could feel himself start to blush. He nodded, maybe a little too vigorously.

"Nice! She's hot!" Sean said excitedly.

At this Artie blushed even more. Yes, he was aware of this fact. Had been for quite some time now.

"Um... thanks?" he said, unsure of what was appropriate.

Luckily Sean had the rest of the conversation all planned out. "I dated this chick for a while. Hannah, she was hooottt," he dragged out the word as if that increased its value. "Said she was fine with the whole thing."

Now, Artie saw where this was going.

"At first, she was awesome, as if she didn't even notice it," Sean continued, "but then she just got weirder and weirder around me. Kept saying she was busy, didn't want to be alone with me."

"I'm sorry -" Artie mumbled, staring at his plate.

"You know who her next boyfriend was?" Sean asked, his voice had turned incredibly bitter and Artie had no idea what to do except shake his head.

"He was a jock. He was a runner, and a swimmer. I saw them together two weeks after she dumped me."

"That's really horrible, Sean, I'm sorry." Artie said, swallowing the awkwardness of the situation.

Sean pushed around the food on his plate, and Artie wondered thought about how this whole macho ruse was just sort of shelter for him. It actually had him feeling bad for Puck for a moment, before Sean spoke again and brought him back to reality.

"Dude, just watch out. You never know when a girl is gonna kick you in the balls."

"Oh, Tina wouldn't-" Artie started, but couldn't quite make himself finish the sentence.

Sean nodded, "I thought the same about Hannah."

Artie stared down at his place, his breakfast suddenly become so unappetising; he wanted to throw it in the bin. He made up some sort of excuse and went back to his room, before his first session. He was angry, furious. He was angry at Sean for putting doubt into his mind. For blackening his thoughts, that were once so sunny and bright, if only about her. But mostly he was angry at himself, for believing it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Look at that, two chapters in a week! That pretty good, right? Anyway, thanks so much for all your reviews, please keep them coming :) This chapter focuses a little more on Tina, but we'll see more Artie soon, I promise. And the angstiness is over just yet. But we've got a long(ish) ride ahead of us... so enjoy this update!**

**Re-uploading due to a mistake/typo I made. Ooops XD**

* * *

Tina glanced at her phone again. It was now after dinner and she hadn't heard from Artie all day. She had texted him twice, but didn't want to be annoying. She knew he was probably exhausted from his sessions. Still when she returned to her room she check if he was online. Apparently not, although after a couple minutes, she saw he had replied to Kurt's message on facebook earlier in the afternoon. She bit her lip, unsure of herself, wondering whether she had done something wrong.

Shaking her head, and telling herself not to worry she picked up her phone. She just needed to occupy herself, that's all.

"Hey T, what's up?" Mercedes answered after the second ring.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to come over for a movie or something?" Tina asked, sounding so cheerful on the phone she surprised even herself.

"Sounds good. Can Quinn come?"

It was a good thing Tina had called, because there was no way she could've hidden her surprise. It wasn't about Quinn – okay, it was about Quinn, but no matter how much nicer she had become during her pregnancy; Tina was still half-waiting for the day that the old Quinn Fabray would come back. And she was a little scared.

But she seemed to be nice to Mercedes and Mercedes seemed to like her. So who was she to say no?

"Sure! It'll be fun we'll have a girls night!" she said, smiling and Mercedes said they could be there in 20 minutes.

An hour later, they were all huddled up on their sofa, the lame romantic comedy they had been watching was on mute, because they had found better things to talk about.

"So, how's wheels liking his camp thing. He facebooked me today but didn't say much," Mercedes asked, before grabbing another handful of popcorn. Quinn turned to her expectantly also, apparently, interested.

"Um," Tina looked at her hands, "I guess he's fine. He was fine yesterday."

"What do you mean?" Mercedes asked, looking confused.

Tina sighed, and repositioned her legs before answering, "I haven't really heard from him today..." she said, seeing Quinn and Mercedes surprised faces, "like, at all."

Her two guests stayed quiet for a bit before Quinn spoke up, "He's probably just really tired. I mean, that therapy must be hard on him, right?"

Tina nodded, glancing down at her hands which were neatly folded in her lap. Much like Artie's usually were. Mercedes must have noticed too, because she grabbed hold of one of the and pulled Tina up off the couch.

"Come on, girl. I think it's time for a little mani-pedi." She looked at Quinn, who jumped off the sofa nodding excitedly.

Tina couldn't help but grin. Mercedes knew her too well, and if anything made her feel better, it was a new coat of nail polish. She told the others she'd meet then in her room, Mercedes knew where the nail polish was. She went into the kitchen, getting a glass of water and re-checking her phone. Nothing. She drained her glass and made her way up to her room.

Up in her room, Quinn was practically orgasming over the fact that she could paint her own toes again. "Seriously guys, you do not know how good it is!" She had chosen Tina's only shade of pink to do her toes in.

Tina and Mercedes looked at each other and laughed. Mercedes was just putting away her phone when she walked in.

"Kurt's dad is making him watch some game, he wanted to vent during half-time," she said by way of explanation.

Tina smiled and fished out her dark blue nail polish, proceeding to redo her nails with expert precision. Her mom mocked her that she shouldn't get too good at doing nails, but it was relaxing for her.

The girls put on some old school Destiny's child, to which they knew all the words. But they were having too much fun to be embarrassed. In no time at all, Mercedes and Quinn decided it was time to go home, and they left together even though Quinn had moved back in with her mother. Tina made a mental note to ask Mercedes what was going on with her next time she caught her alone.

Tina closed the front door after her friends and was on her way back to her room, when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

* * *

Artie flipped through the pictures on his phone. There weren't many, maybe 20 or so, all of them together and one, his favourite, of Tina alone. She's laughing in the picture, and he remembered it was because he did his Jerry Seinfeld impression. He'd been through them a few times now, staring at each one for a few seconds at least before pressing forward to the next one. He'd been lying on his bed for the last hour, doing this.

Sighing he pressed the back button and eventually returned to Mercedes' message. _Dude, u better be dying there. Because u need a good reason 4 not texting T. Call her before she bursts in2 tears. M_

He couldn't call her. He didn't trust his voice; he didn't trust himself to get through a phone call without letting slip what Sean had said. And he really didn't want to bring that up. He hated that he doubted them; he hated even more how much he would hurt her if he admitted it.

Finally, he opened a blank message. He could text her, he could do that and tell her that he was fine. He retyped it several times, trying to make sure it sounded apologetic and casual and caring at the same time. She was always better at words than he was.

Eventually, he had something he thought was acceptable and he pressed send. He sighed, he didn't want to text her or call her, he wanted to be with her, to hold her hand. Because he knew that no matter what he was feeling, everything would get better when she was next to him. Reaching under his pillow he pulled out the T-shirt she lent him. It smelled like like her, which was the closest he could get right now.

_Hey T, sorry i've been MIA today. It's been hard but I'm ok. I miss u. I wish I could see u right now._


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm SO SORRY for failing to update sooner. My mistake for thinking being on holiday would mean I was less busy, huh? Anyway, I'm 100% positive the next chapter will be up a lot sooner... I promise! Please tell me what you think :) (or even just to rant about my crappy updating ha)**

**Disclaimer: you know the drill...**

* * *

When Tina woke up it was raining again. Not as hard as the previous morning, but still; it was supposed to be summer. Summer meant sun and warmth and beaches. Okay, so there weren't any beaches in Lima. But it was June, it wasn't supposed to be raining.

Rolling out of bed and checking her phone, she first noted the time: enough time to get to her dad's office in time, not enough time to have anything other than pop tarts for breakfast. And then that she had another message from Artie. She had replied to the one from last night as casually as she could, telling him about the lame rom-com they had half-watched and how she would have rather watched Harry Potter with him.

_Morning, T. Starting at the pool 2day, so not sure if ill b able 2 talk. Maybe 2moro? Have a gr8 day x_

Reading the message she sighed and threw the phone on her bed as she went to her wardrobe for clothes. She'd reply to him later. Now, she had to get to her dad's work before it started raining any harder.

It didn't really help; 10 minutes after she got there her dad informed her that their coffee machine was broken and if she could go pick up coffees from the shop down the road for the office. She managed to negotiate one for herself, so it wasn't all bad.

On the way back, she decided it was good she hadn't worn Artie's sweater that day, although she had wanted to. Because the half-wool blend would've started stinking like wet dog, which was even worse than the fact her hair now looked like wet streaked rag on her head.

"Thanks Teeny. Can you take the latte to Bren- Ms Dawson? At the end of the hall?" her dad asked when she brought his coffee to his office.

Tina paused to tie up her hair in bun, hoping it looked better, "your boss?"

"That's the one. Be polite!" he said teasingly and she shot him a fake glare look before laughing and grabbing the last coffee.

She knocked on the door frame even though the door was open. This was the first time she'd had met her dads new boss, and she definitely want to cause any trouble for him. Only after Ms Dawson/Brenda looked up and did a sort of half smile, did she actually enter; holding out the still ridiculously hot coffee cup.

"Thank you, Tina is it?" She asked and Tina noted her hair was pulled into a bun so tight it must have hurt.

"Yes, Tina Cohen-Chang, nice to meet you." She smiled her best smile.

"You're Jim's daughter, it's great you could come spend time with us. We could definitely use you around."

"It's my pleasure, now that I'm on holiday."

Brenda took a sip of her coffee, before looking at her again, "My son is coming next week, to do the same as you. Although I don't think he's half as enthusiastic as you are."

Tina smiled, but before she could say anything, Brenda continued, "Maybe we can set you two up in the same spare office so you can have someone your age to talk to. I know filing isn't the most thrilling thing in the world."

"That'd be great," Tina said, suppressing a sigh. When would adults realise that just because someone is the same age as you does not mean you want to talk to them, or that you would have anything to talk about?

* * *

Artie groaned as he wheeled himself into his room, he stunk of chlorine and even though he could float in the pool, water exercises always made his arms ache so bad he could barely wheel himself. He should've accepted the nurse's offer to push him. And it was only lunch time.

He pulled himself onto his bed and lay down slipping his hands under his head. Sean had been right, the new physio was pretty. Blonde and tall and she was definitely aware of how good she look in a swimming suit. But as cliché as it sounded the entire time he was in the pool he couldn't stop thinking of that time he and Tina sunbathed in his backyard. She'd been shy at first, but eventually she stripped off to just her bikini and he couldn't stop staring.

At one point she had had to stretch to reach the water bottle at the end of her towel and when she turned around and saw him he wasn't sure who had gone redder.

He made a very awkward comment about being teenage boy and made things a lot worse. He needed to remember that that was not a valid excuse.

He sighed; he was too tired to go anywhere. Reaching over he grabbed the phone on his bed side table and rang the nurses' desk to ask if he could just have lunch in his room. He pulled out his iPod and found the playlist she had made for him, which he copied off the CD. He'd listened to it every day since he'd been here and still couldn't figure out whether he loved the songs she chose for it, or whether he loved the songs because she chose them. Either way, he closed his eyes and imagined her smile and her streaked hair and her tanned legs and for once he wished he could be back in Lima.


	6. Chapter 6

**Another chapter, and wrapping up the first week of Artie being away, but by no means the drama ;) I've actually been writing this one for a while, and it was harder than I expected, but I think I'm happy with it now. Please tell me what you think!**

* * *

"Dude, your club has more drama than my mom's favourite soap!" Sean said, laughing so hard Artie could barely understand him. He shrugged; what could he say? It was kinda true.

It was Sunday afternoon and they were hanging out in Artie's room. The place was very quiet on Sundays, there were only a few sessions on and a lot of people left at the end of the week. There wasn't much to do but make friends with the people around you. And so, after a couple of days of awkwardness and one of complete avoidance, neither of which Sean understood, Artie asked if he wanted to hang out. They could play computer games on his laptop, he offered.

Suddenly, Sean's grinned widened with what Artie suspected was a terrible idea. He reached over and turned the laptop slightly so he could screen better.

"Let's see if your girlfriend's online, I wanna meet her!" he said, looking so excited Artie was already worried. For once, he hoped Tina was busy hanging out with Mercedes or something.

"I don't know if-" he started, but Sean had already connected him and pressed Tina's name at the top of the contact list.

Tina looked a little surprised at the sudden skype call, and so she should be. They'd talked since the couple of days when he could only text her, but not for long and only on the phone. He hadn't actually seen her face in nearly a week.

She looked as beautiful as ever.

"Uh, hi?" she said, smiling uncertainly at Sean. She recognised him from last time, but still wasn't quite sure who he was, or why he had Artie's laptop.

Artie sighed, and pulled the laptop across so that his face was in view as well, Tina's smiled instantly widened.

"Hey," she repeated.

"Hey Tee," he smiled, and pointed to Sean, "this is Sean, my neighbour. He wanted to meet you."

Tina waved at Sean, who nodded his head in that way that reminded Artie way too much of Puck.

"Art can't stop talking about you, so I thought, lemme meet this chick." He said and Artie shot him a glare. Because no one called him Art but his dad, and well, he didn't really like him calling Tina "chick." Looking back at the screen though, he saw her giggling and blushed. Okay, so maybe he did talk about her a bit...

"It's nice to finally meet you, Sean. Artie has told me about you too," Tina smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Only believe the good stuff," Sean smirked and Tina laughed.

It seemed to be going alright, to Artie's relief. Tina explained to them the extent of the nothing there was to do in Lima, and how the weather had ruined summer plans for everyone. Sean told them, about his own town which was a couple of hours from Lima, and apparently, equally as dead.

And then came Sean's sudden change of topic, "So Tina," he started, "what's it like going out with a wheelchair?"

Tina's eyes widened and she glanced warily across the screen at Artie. He was pretty sure he had stopped breathing.

She smiled a little, "What wheelchair?" she asked, hoping the joke's intent would be clear.

Artie let out a low chuckle, but Sean apparently wasn't satisfied with her answer. "No really, I wanna know what it's like from a walking chick's side."

Tina flinched slightly at "walking chick" and Artie's mind flew to the first time Sean mentioned his ex-girlfriend. He knew this wasn't going anywhere good.

"Uhhhh," Tina said, hesitantly and Artie half didn't want her to answer the question. They hadn't even talked about this between them, not really. Let alone to someone else.

"Um, the chair doesn't really change who Artie is, and I don't like people based on how they get around," she said finally, shrugging and not taking her eyes off Artie. After a short pause, she turned back to Sean and smiled, "What's it like? It's exactly what it would be like if he could walk. Except that now, he can give me rides around school."

Artie grinned as he remembered when Figgins caught him giving Tina a ride on his lap and told them off because he would "not have these shenanigans at this school".

Sean nodded thoughtfully, as if he was grading her answer. Artie wanted to tell him to cut it out, but hoped he'd back off now that he got his answer.

"So you don't wish he could walk?"

Apparently not.

"I don't –" Artie started, but to his surprise, Tina interrupted him, "It's okay," she smiled softly, "the only time I ever wish Artie could walk is when he tells me how much he wishes it. I only want what he wants, what would make him happy."

Artie blushed, and he wished he could have hugged her right then. Or even better, kissed her. He hating having to watch her through a screen at this moment.

Sean was quiet for a while, but the awkwardness remained. Artie was trying to think of an excuse to cut off the call right there. Or to get Sean out of the room.

"Uh, Sean?" Tina said tentatively. Her voice sounded different over the video than in real life, deeper.

Both Sean and Artie looked up towards the webcam, Artie half-smiling not quite sure what to say.

"Obviously I can't imagine what it's like... but it kinda sounds like you want someone to talk to and I know that Artie...or I, would be happy to. Whether it's about the chair, or... girls?" Tina said, biting her lip as she finished, the last part was a question, because Sean seemed pretty bitter about her being Artie's girlfriend. And she didn't have much experience with guys, but it was kinda obvious what that meant.

Sean shook his head, trying to appear fine, but Artie swore he saw his eyes tears up for a bit.

"Tina, do you know how much harder this makes everything?" he asked, and Artie groaned, audibly. But Sean seemed to ignore him. Tina though didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.

"Yeah, I mean-"

"Do you know how hard it is for people like us to do things," Sean interrupted, "like...like have sex."

"Hey!" Artie said, poking Sean in the shoulder which seemed a lot more threatening in his mind.

Tina's eye widened and she just stared into the monitor. They hadn't even talked about sex at this point. Well, she knew he... worked. But they hadn't come close to anything yet. His hand was just barely under her shirt at this point. Which was usually because they rarely hung out somewhere that was both alone and private for long enough.

Artie looked into the screen and saw Tina blushing furiously, still silent. Obviously she'd thought about it, just like he had. He blushed as well.

Sean turned to him, ignoring the laptop, "What? She put out yet?"

Artie shook his head, this was going too far. "Sean, you need to leave."

"Chill out -"

"Sean, just-_ Just go_!" Artie raised his voice and pointed to the door. Tina swallowed nervously on the other end. Artie never yelled, he never raised his voice. Apart from the one time in the choir room. Angry, upset, frustrated... Artie didn't yell.

"Jeez, fine. I'm going." Sean muttered. Artie was glad he had stayed in his chair so he could just turn around at wheel himself out.

Once the door closed behind him, Artie looked back at the screen. Tina was still there, biting her lip, her finger twirling her hair nervously.

"I'm so sorry, Tee," he started. "I had no idea he'd -"

"It's fine," she shook her head, "It's okay...He's got some issues to work out, huh?"

Artie nodded slowly, "He had, uh, this girlfriend. Who dumped him, pretty recently I think. For a jock."

"Oh," Tina said sadly, then thought for a second before looking at him, "Ohhh. Artie, is that why you..."

He looked at her, questioning what she was dragging out, but having a pretty good inkling of what it was.

"Is that why you avoided me this week? Because of what he said?" she asked finally.

He bit his lip, glancing around the room, not exactly answering but telling her everything she needed to know.

"Artie..." she sighed, but she wasn't annoyed. She wished she could be there with him. Hug him, kiss him. "I'm not running away. I promise. Especially not with some jock."

He looked back at her, believing her. She wouldn't, he trusted her. But that didn't stop him from wishing things could be different. But wishing didn't help. At least, not wishing for that.

"I miss you Tee," he said finally and a smile crept across her lips.

"I miss you too," she said, "seriously, the next three weeks have to faster than this!"

He nodded, he'd never agreed with anything more.

* * *

**Don't hate Sean tooo much, he'll be back :P**


	7. Chapter 7

**Again, I've failed as a reliable, consistent writer. I duely apologise. Life went a bit hectic for a few weeks, but now things are getting back to routine it should get better. I'm so sorry and Thank you to all those wonderful people who stick around for each chapter. And thank you even more for your reviews, they inspire me so much!**

* * *

Tina yawned towards the screen. It was seven am and Artie laughed at her on the other end of the line.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?"

"Tee, it was your idea." He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. But when I said call me when you wake up, I thought you meant like, nine or something."

He laughed again, "I have my session at nine, and I have to get to breakfast before eight so that I don't miss out on the pancakes."

She gave him a glare before finally smiling. They were both pretty tired. After Artie kicked Sean out they had talked for a long time, covering everything from the issues Sean had brought up to the fact the donut store at the Lima mall was closing down._ A traged_y, in his words.

"Glad to see you're making use out of my shirt," Tina said, pointing to the screen and towards his chest. He was wearing the shirt she gave him; he changed into it last night. After talking to her for so long, he just found himself missing her more.

"What can I say, it's comfy." He shrugged. She just grinned at him.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Tina followed her father into his office. For once, the weather actually looked summery and she was looking forward to enjoying hanging out with Mercedes after work. She had sent her a message, telling her how awkward it was talking to Artie's friend, but hadn't told her the whole story yet.

"Oh good, you're here," Ms. Dawson appeared suddenly at the doorway. Tina turned around suddenly, glancing uneasily at her dad. She was worried she had done something wrong and she'd hate it if she got her father in trouble.

"Hi, Ms Dawson..." she said tentatively, her fingers playing with the zip detail on the side of her shirt.

Brenda just smiled, and motioned someone in the hall to come closer, "Tina, this is my son Samuel."

Tina let out a breathe of relief, over the weekend she had completely forgotten that she'd be working with Brenda's son this week. "Sam," the boy grinned down at her. He was tall. Really tall, he could probably rival Finn.

"Sam, this Tina. Mr. Chang's daughter," Brenda said, smiling over Tina's head to her father who had sat himself down at his desk, chuckling at the scene in his office.

"Nice to meet you, Sam," Tina said, sticking her hand out a little awkwardly. She wasn't a huge fan of new people.

"I'm sure you too will get on just great!" Brenda smiled, before turning towards her father again, "Jim, if you could check that report I just emailed you?"

They watched her walk out of the office in her stilettos, Tina would have probably made fun of her if she was with Artie. She glanced up at Sam, the height difference making it more obvious than she hoped.

"I guess we should go work?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful and friendly.

"Sure," Sam let her go through the door first, his long legs letting him catch up with her within a step. "So you're a Junior?"

"I will be in the Fall. Your mom said you just came home, you at college?" She replied, trying to remember what else she had heard about him.

"Boarding School. School's here didn't quite meet "Mother's Approval"," she used his fingers to quote the air.

She chuckled, "Tell me about it."

He looked at her, "Are you from Jane Adams?"

Her eyes widened surprise. He got a hint from her silence. Or maybe her glare.

"No?"

"McKinley. But uh, I'm not sure how to take that."

He pointed at her black jeans with the rip at the knees, "The outfit's a little misleading. But I'm sure you hold your own anywhere."

She laughed. By now they had reached the spare office at the end of the hall and she'd placed her bag on the floor next to one of the chairs. "You've obviously never gone to McKinley," she said, seating herself down.

He sat down on the chair opposite her, "What's the deal?"

She shrugged, and reached over to grab a pile of files from the edge of the desk. "Let me guess, you play basketball, maybe football?"

Sam said nothing, but his smirk told all.

Tina nodded, "Guys like you don't really take kindly to us freaks and geeks."

He grabbed a bunch of files as well, looking up at her one last time, "Nice reference."

His lack of denial or defence confirmed it for her. In the real world, they would not be friends. Still, she had to work with him, and she liked the fact that he knew what she was talking about. "I try."

* * *

Artie had just gotten back from group therapy and was looking forward to simply relaxing with his laptop. He had another session after lunch and all he really wanted to do right now was watch funny videos on YouTube. He was just about to transfer himself to his bed when he heard a voice.

"Hey Artie." He turned around, and saw Sean sitting at his doorway. They hadn't talked since the previous afternoon, and Artie didn't have any will to start now.

"Sean," he said, as coldly as he could muster.

Sean sighed and wheeled in a little more, "Look, I know you're totally pissed at me. I'd be pissed at me too."

Artie nodded slightly, adjusting his glasses.

Sean continued, "I got jealous, I guess. I was real rude. But you're like my only friend here."

For a second Artie thought that the reason for that was obvious, but then he felt bad. The guy was upset about his entire life. He couldn't understand that. "If you needed to talk to someone, you could've just asked."

Sean shrugged, "I dunno, despite everything, you seem to have things so perfect."

"You have no idea!" Artie scoffed. Seriously, now he was thinking maybe Sean was delusional. After all the stories he'd told him...

Sean nodded, "You got friends and family. And Tina. And Glee."

Artie looked at him sympathetically. "On the last day of school a dumb jock dumped a slushie on my crotch. And when the smarter one realised I couldn't feel it, he dumped another one on my head. And as for me and Tina... it took us a long time, like really long, to figure out how to be together. I was a jerk to her, and it takes a lot for her to trust somebody. I'm still paranoid she's going to find somebody a thousand times better. But right now, we're – I'm happy. And you need to try for that too."

Artie was looking at his hands as he finished. He wasn't really a words-guy. He liked to pipe in with one-liners not give whole monologues. But that speech had been more or less stewing in his head since Sean left the day before. Sometimes you need to channel your inner-Rachel Berry.

When he finally looked up, Sean was still silent biting his lip. Artie wasn't sure what he would do if he started to cry. So he thought fast.

"I gotta show you this video," he said loudly, pointing to his laptop, "It's awesome, these guys try to blend an iPhone!"

Sean looks at him for a second, become grinning, although with a hint of sadness behind it. He wheels closer to Artie's bed. "Fine, but have you seen the trailer for Human Centipede?"

* * *

**Okay, OT: I'm sure some of you have seen the Human Centipede trailer... isn't if horrifying? If you haven't and you're squeamish and easily disturbed: DO NOT WATCH. Ew.**

**Also reviews are love :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry guys this is more of a short filler chapter... I've been trying to plan the next few chapters and it's been harder than I thought. Also I've been a little immersed in another fandom the past week, but don't worry, I'm not giving up on Tartie! :)**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**Also thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! It's wonderful to know you guys like this and enjoy reading it! ** ;)**

* * *

Artie hummed as he wheeled back to his room. It had been a good couple of days; his therapy was going well (his arm muscles and abs were definitely improving, he thought smugly) and he was having a good time hanging out with Sean, who had apologised profusely about six times now.

On top of this, he finally had a free moment to call Tina. He knew she was working, but she'd told him she was hauled up in the spare office and if he could please, please, please bother her whenever he liked.

He planned to do just that.

In his room he quickly transferred to his bed to get more comfortable and pulled out his cellphone.

It rang a few times, longer than usual, before it picked up.

"Hello?" asked a voice that definitely was not Tina. It sounded...like a guy?

"Hello?" Artie replied, confused. He'd pressed the speed-dial, so it's not like he could've pressed the wrong number. "Uh... who is this?"

"Sam." The guy replied, with no sign of continuing.

"Ok. Is Tina there?" Artie asked, hoping to get off the phone with whoever this was as soon as possible.

"She's not here right now. I'll tell her you called though."

"Thanks," Artie said, "Tell her it was Artie. And that she can call me back anytime."

The guy, Sam, just grunted and Artie took that as a sign to hang up. He looked at the phone quizzically, as though it could give him answers.

He put his phone down next to him, pondering what to do. Had it all gone to plan he probably would've chatted to Tina for a while. Now he had nothing. Sean had a pool session, he was pretty sure and he didn't know any of the other kids to just barge into their rooms.

He may as well see what his other friends were up to he thought as he picked up his phone and sent off a message to Kurt, Mercedes, Brittany and a guy from the AV club. _Yo! Hows ur summer going? – A_

A moment later his phone chirped and he saw that Brittany had replied. _Wheres it going? I think its sad tho, the sky keeps crying._

Artie chuckled to himself and pulled out one of books he'd brought, but hadn't had a chance to read yet. Resting his head on the headboard, his abs hurt a bit. But he wasn't complaining, he knew he legs would hurt more if they could.

Half an hour later, Tina still hadn't called back.

* * *

Tina yawned, more out of boredom than anything else. She looked at the clock and was happy to realise she could nearly go home. Sam, across the table from her looked like he was in exactly the same mood.

She moved a couple of papers across her desk, and was surprised to find her phone sitting there. Realising she hadn't seen it since right after lunch, she picked it up quickly. It had been on silent, so she hadn't even heard the few messages she had received from Mercedes and surprisingly Brittany, who asked her whether the sky was going anywhere.

Sam looked up as she was tapping away replies. "Oh yeah, you got a call before. I forgot."

Her head snapped up, "When?" Tina was surprisingly protective of her phone and her contacts; this being a result of her parents taking a long time to allow her to have one. They were lovely people, but everyone else at school having one did not sit highly on their scale of acceptable reasons.

"Uh, like lunchtime? You left it on the table when you went to get coffees. So I picked up, said you weren't here." Sam shrugged.

"Who was it?" she asked, flicking to her call log.

"Ummm... Archie?" Sam guessed, making a confused face. "Some guy."

"Archie?" she wondered, and then finally saw his name on the list, "Oh, Artie!"

"Yeah, it was Artie," Sam nodded, looking bored of the conversation and checked his own phone.

Tina felt guilty for missing his call, especially since she begged him to call her when he could. She quickly sent him a message. _Sry I missed ur call. The guy who answered 4got 2 tell me. Talk 2nite? x T_

She resumed her work, willing the clock to go faster so she could get out of there. Not only did she want to talk to Artie, but she was meeting Kurt and Mercedes at the nearest diner for ice creams.


	9. Chapter 9

**A P O L O G I E S.**

**No excuse, I don't even think this peace offering is as good as it should be. But here it is. **

* * *

"So Kurt and Quinn were practically screaming insults at each other in the middle of the diner," Tina managed to say through her giggles. Last night seemed at lot less funny at the time, but now she couldn't stop laughing. Kurt had said something about Quinn still wearing maternity dresses and she quickly snapped back with a snide comment about green plaid not really matching orange cashmere. Tina and Mercedes had just sat at the table in silence, cheeks red.

"I can't believe I missed that!" Artie laughed across the line. Tina was glad to be able to talk to him, it was nice just hearing his voice.

"Don't worry, I'm sure there'll be another one when you come back. Or you can just mock his new straw sunhat." She said and he laughed again.

"I can't wait. So did you guys get kicked out?"

"Nearly, Mercedes bribed them to calm down with apple pie, but it was a close call." Tina said, grinning into her phone, "And then Mike and Matt came in, so they talked to us for a bit."

"You guys hung out with Mike?" Artie asked, his voice slightly higher.

"And Matt," Tina bit her lip, ever since her dance number Artie's had a thing about Mike. Even though she's reassured him that Mike has nothing he doesn't, and nothing she wants. Not wanting to get into it again she continues quickly. "Matt told us this hilarious story about his grandma's dog. But seriously, that's the most I've ever heard him talk!"

Artie chuckled, and seems to have forgotten about his worries, "Yeah, he can talk for ages when he's excited. You should've seen him on vitamin D!"

Tina laughed, looking up when she heard footsteps at the door, "Artie, I gotta go. But we'll talk later? "

"Sure - "

"Cool. Byeee," she dragged out the word for a moment, before ending the calling and putting the phone back in her pocket.

"Good morning Tina, so sorry we're late, we had car troubles this morning, " Brenda smiled, stepping into the office as Sam shuffled behind her. "I hope you've been alright by yourself."

"Of course," Tina smiled, "Everything's fine, although it's nice to have someone to talk to." She turned to smile at Sam; it was true, it could get very boring... the company was nice, no matter who it was.

Brenda seemed thrilled to hear this, "Oh, I'm so happy you guys are becoming friends. If you ever want to leave early and spend time together, that's completely fine!" She smiled widely, almost expectantly and left for her own office.

Tina bit her lip, confused, and turned to Sam, "Does your mom-"

Sam was ever-so-slightly red, "It's nothing, she does that with every girl I meet. Especially if she knows their parents."

"Oh," Tina nodded, laughing half-heartedly, "I, uh, just so you know, I have a boyfriend."

Sam chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm not looking for anything. I have a thing with a girl at school anyway."

Tina raised her eyebrow, she wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but she knew that _a thing _didn't have much standing in high school. Puck and Santana were a thing, she and Artie, she'd like to think, were not.

She wanted to say something; the silence was bordering on awkward, but she couldn't think of anything that wouldn't leave one of them, probably her, red-faced and stuttering. She pulled on her necklace, and turned back to her work.

* * *

Artie frowned as he wheeled down the hallway. Well, he forced a smile at the nurses and helpers who greeted him, but he wanted to keep to himself until he got to his destination. He'd talked to Tina a couple of hours ago, and as nice as it was to talk to her, to hear her voice. Something she said kept bothering him.

Mike... Artie shook his head. No, Mike was there with Matt. And Kurt and Mercedes and Quinn.

Tina's tap dance flashed in his mind, specifically the turn Mike led her into. He'd imagined those steps so many times he probably could have done them, if he could.

He bit his lip; Tina talked to him after she had performed her dance. He knew she meant it when she said she didn't like Mike, and especially not because he dance like a "flying ninja." His words, not hers.

Artie focused on the doors at the end of the hall; he was a little nervous: it was his first group therapy session. It wasn't optional, and he wasn't thrilled. He would rather do physical therapy sessions for days, than talk about it for an hour. Especially with a lot of people, who "understand."

He wheeled into the room, to find a bunch of seats sporadically placed in a circle, large gaps between them. He wheeled himself between an empty chair and a taken one, nodding at a girl who was sitting in it. She had bright red hair, and was gripping her crutches between her straightened legs.

"Hi. Grace. You look like your dreading this as much as I am," she said, her voice oddly cheery, she reminded him of someone, "But don't worry, I have a plan on how to minimise your input and make everyone else to the talking."

Grace said that last part with a secretive smirk, leaning in conspiratorially. And it hit him, she oozed Rachel Berry.

"Uh, care to share?" he asked. He'd take all the help he could get. They both looked at the door when they heard more people coming in, and soon enough the circle was pretty much filled. Grace winked at him as if to say watch and learn, before they were all distracted by their counsellor walking in.

The counsellor was nothing like Ms. Pillsbury at McKinley. Artie almost did a double take when he saw a young guy, about 25, wearing shorts and flip-slops walk in casually carrying a few sheets of papers and a pile of pamphlets.

"Okay guys! I'm Aaron, your counsellor for these group sessions. There is another group session run by our other counsellor Sarah. If any of you think you'd feel comfortable talking to her, for any reason, just let me know and I can arrange a swap. No problemo!"

There was a pause as everyone looked around awkwardly. When no one said anything, Aaron grinned and continued, "Cool! I want to start by getting everyone to introduce themselves. A bit old school, I know, but let's try it out." He pointed to the boy right next to him, "You wanna start and we'll go around the circle?"

Artie grimaced, he hated these things... whoever invented ice breakers should be shot.

Over the next few minutes, Artie learnt that the guy with the crutches used to run marathons, the girl in the wheelchair has started baking since her accident. Then he was up.

He sighed, "I'm Artie, I'm 15 and I've been in the chair since I was 8. I kinda turned to music and arts, jazz club and I'm part of the Glee Club."

Across the circle a guy sniggered and Grace shot him a glare. Turns out she was part of her own Glee club. Maybe this Group therapy thing would be bearable.


	10. Chapter 10

**I've had the second half of this chapter in my head since before I even started this story, so I'm glad I got to finally integrate it into the storyline :)**

* * *

The cafeteria there was like any other – loud, and full of aromas, only some of which were linked to actual food. Sean was over the moon because his older brother just told him their parents had bought a new Xbox and he couldn't stop talking about going home the following week. Artie nodded, remembering fondly playing video games with Tina a couple weeks ago. She did it more for him, he knew, but he loved her smug grin when he let her win a game of Halo.

As he glanced around the cafeteria, he saw Grace manoeuvring through the tables on her crutches. Behind her was a helper holding Grace's tray. When she looked up, he waved a little and she changed direction towards them, smiling.

She plopped herself on a chair next to Artie, and thanked her helper.

"That's something the chair is good for," Artie grinned, pointing at the tray, "You can carry all your own stuff."

Grace pulled a face, "I haven't been in a chair since I was 10. Personal challenge."

Artie chuckled, and then realised that Sean was still sitting opposite him.

"Sean, this is Grace. She's in my group therapy. Grace, Sean. My neighbour."

Grace gave him a small wave and Sean attempted the cool guy nod, which nearly sent Artie into a fit of laughter.

"So, you into video games or are you a gleek freak like he is?" Sean asked.

Grace looked at Artie, who looked at Sean both confused and annoyed.

"Well, I am a lead in my glee club," she offered.

Sean grinned, "I've just noticed that to make an impression on this guy, you gotta have either one of those things. Some lucky people have both," he winked at Artie who immediately thought of Tina and blushed.

"Sometimes I play Sims?" Grace said, and both Sean and Artie failed miserably at holding back their laughter.

* * *

Tina was watching a hilarious YouTube video about cats when her mom knocked on the door.

"Hey honey," she poked her in, "I ran out of hand cream, do you have any extra?"

Tina turned her head and nodded, "Uh-huh, first drawer by the bed."

Her mom, saying something about going out for a family dinner next week, made her way across the room and Tina paid little attention to her.

It wasn't until she heard the drawer open that she remembered and she turned around quickly, her eyes wide, "Wait, Mom, I can-"

Her mom already had one hand inside the drawer and she was practically frozen into position. Tina herself was unable to move or speak; instead she just shut her eyes tightly, hoping this wasn't actually happening. In five second she'd wake up to find that she'd fallen asleep at her desk.

Her mom slowly pulled a box, which Tina knew was right beside the hand cream, out of the drawer, "Tina, is there anything we need to talk about?"

Tina made a face; this is exactly what she had wanted to avoid, "No?"

"Tina." Her mom's voice was surprisingly calm, but she was holding the box like it was infested with roaches. She moved a couple steps and sat herself on Tina's bed, gesturing for her daughter to come over and do the same.

Tina sighed and obliged, there was no use fighting it, maybe she could make this as painless as possible.

"May I ask why you have a box of condoms in your bedside drawer?" her mom asked, before looking away and Tina was pretty certain she was trying to remember when was the last time she and Artie had been alone in the house. "Have you and Artie-"

"No! No." She answered quickly and maybe a little too loudly. "We haven't done anything yet, mom. See, look, it's not even open." She pointed to the clear taped across the top of the box. She swore her mom let out a breath of relief.

"Are you planning to?" her voice faltered and Tina didn't know what to say. Honestly, didn't the presence of the box answer that question?

After being silent too long, she thought she better say something, "Um, even...tually." Then automatically grimaced, because she had just admitted to her mother that she was planning on having sex. Oh God.

Her mother turned to her slightly, placing her hand on Tina's knee. Tina knew what this meant, they'd be having a Talk. She suppressed a groan. "Tina, you're young. You're not even 16 yet."

"I'll be 16 in a month." Tina corrected.

Her mom seemed to ignore this, "I know you like Artie, sweetie and he's a lovely boy. But there's always time. If he's talking-"

"He hasn't mentioned it, mom. He's not pressuring me or anything." Tina shook her head reassuringly, placing her hand on top of her mom's.

"I just don't want you to think it's something you have to do."

"I know, mom."

"This sort of stuff can hurt. Not just physically, but emotionally too. Feelings can-"

"I know-." Tina interrupted and her mom pursed her lips so she felt bad. She leant forward and rested her head on her shoulder, "I'll be okay, mom."

Her mother stroked her hair for a moment, before turning and pressing a kiss into it. "I love you, Tina."

"I love you too."

She got up, and Tina followed her as she got halfway across the room, then turning around, she placed the box carefully on top of Tina's chest of drawers before turning to her daughter, "Be careful, okay?"

Tina nodded, but she wasn't sure whether she was talking about her body or her heart.


End file.
